Planning an Investigation

Name: Nguyễn Quang Huy

Class: 9.5

Question: What are you trying to find out?

The effect of amylase on starch digestion

Safety: How will you make sure the practical is safe?

Wear lab gown, goggles and safety gloves

Carefully handle the reagent jars and only use it via a pipette.

Equipment: What will you need to carry out the practical?

Starch solution, Amylase solution, Iodine solution, 6 test tubes, Pipettes, Water bath, marker

Hypothesis: What do you predict you will find out?

The iodine in the solution with amylase will change colour after heated while the test tube without
amylase will not change colour.

Independent Variable: Presence of amylase solution

Dependent Variable: final colour of the starch solution

Control Variables: temperature at which solutions are kept, volume of starch and iodine solution in
each test tube, time taken for each experiment.

How will you make sure it’s a fair test?

Make sure I only change whether to put amylase into a solution or not and keep all the other
variables the same for both test tubes.
Method: step by step instructions to complete the investigation

Dissolve 4 drops of amylase solution in 20 cm3 of water to prepare amylase solution

Dissolve 10g ofstarch in 20 cm3 of water to prepare starch solution

Label a test tube as the control. Add 5 cm3 of starch solution and 4 drops of iodine to observe the
initial colour (blue/black, indicating the presence of starch). Place in water bath of 36 °C.

Label another test tube as the experimental test. Add 5 cm3 starch solution, 4 drops of iodine
solution then 3 drops of amylase. Mix well and place the mixture in a 36 °C water bath for 5
minutes.

After 5 minutes, add 4 drops of iodine solution to each test tube and observe the change in colour. A
change from blue/black to brown or yellow indicates the presence of reducing sugars due to starch
digestion.

Repeat this experiment 2 more times.

Results Table

Initial colour Final colour

Test tube 1st trial 2nd trial 3rd trial 1st trial 2nd trial 3rd trial
Control
Experimenta
l

Analysis of results